"What a magnificent city!"
Xiulote, clad in armor and carrying a bow, gazed at the capital city not far away, a look of admiration spreading across his face. He closed one eye, extended his left arm, and raised his thumb, noticing with just a quick glance that the city wall was an impressive eight or nine meters high, with an astonishing width of two to three kilometers.
The blue stone walls were engraved with divine symbols, and the wide city gates were decorated with patterns of gold and silver. On the tall city walls, many militia holding long spears and samurai carrying bows and arrows stood densely packed. Among the defending militia, stacks of brick, wood, and stone were piled up, along with pottery jars filled with lime.
Xiulote’s gaze lingered momentarily among the ranks of the defending army. He estimated the ratio of samurai to militia and looked at the throngs of people from the Tekos tribe, his smile growing even more radiant.
"Truly a majestic sight to behold!"
The young commander lifted his head, looking past the towering city wall at the even taller "House of Wind" – the Akatla, continuing to marvel with a smile.
According to the scouts’ reports, Qinchongcan City covered an area of six or seven square kilometers, usually home to over forty thousand citizens, making it one of the largest cities in Central America. And now, with the addition of the people from the surrounding lake region, the number of people within the city had at least doubled.
At the heart of this expansive metropolis was the ancient and weathered Akatla Pyramid "House of Wind." Five circular Akatla Pyramids lined up in a row, along with the extended annex Temples and Priest quarters, spanning almost two kilometers! The two sides were about thirty meters high, while the three central Chief Divine Pyramids were nearly fifty meters tall. Looking up, the enormous pyramid complex was like towering mountains, or like great beasts lying in wait. The Sacred Fire, lit at the temple atop the pyramids, resembled the burning eyes of the beasts.
"The grand city that has thrived for a thousand years, the capital of a two-hundred-year-old kingdom, truly lives up to its reputation!"
With a smile in his eyes, Xiulote looked at this ancient city as if beholding his own treasured possession. Then, he turned his head slightly to look at the surrendered generals by his side and asked with a smile.
"Oorta, why do the people of the Lake Region build such magnificent pyramids? What is the significance of this wonder in the hearts of the Prepetcha people?"
"Respected Your Highness, in the olden gods’ mythology, Qinchongcan City is the center of the universe, and the group of pyramids is the source of heaven and earth. Sun, Earth, Moon— the divine powers of the three Chief Divines reside within the pyramids, driving the rising and setting of the sun, the flourishing and withering of plants, maintaining the world’s operations. Ordinary citizens haven’t been in contact with the highest Chief Divine, and the ancient three gods are the faith they’ve inherited for a thousand years. Of course, the power of the Chief Divine is supreme and omnipresent. To me, it seems that the sun Chief Divine Curicaveri might just be an incarnation of Huitzilopochtli."
The Family Head Oorta spoke respectfully. After finishing, he bowed deeply, paying his respects to Xiulote.
Xiulote nodded, patting the other’s shoulder, then his gaze turned smilingly to Oorta.
A complex expression covered Oorta’s face. In front of him lay the glorious Tarasco Capital City, and behind him were tens of thousands of Mexica warriors. How could he not be moved by such a return to the capital city? After a few breaths, the Crocodile Marshal sighed. He bowed his head to pay his respects and explained in a grave tone.
"Your Highness, the Akatla Pyramids were built by the ancestors of the Lake Region and have a legacy that may span a thousand years. They not only serve as Thrones of the Gods, where divine spirits reside, but also as tombs for the Royal Family and nobility, venues for festivities, and the spiritual lodestone of the people of the Lake Region!
For the High Priests, the pyramid complex also serves as an observatory, a sacred place for determining celestial timing. The corridors among the pyramids point in fixed north-south directions, and the stone bricks in front of the pyramids are cut with precision and divided according to strict hierarchical order. Every rise and fall of the sun leaves a changing shadow over the stone bricks, indicating the precise time. Twice a year, the shadow from the pyramids points to the center of the stone bricks. The first of these days is when preparations for spring plowing begin, and the second is for getting ready for the autumn harvest."
"Your Highness, every person of Prepetcha believes that the souls of the deceased ascend the Akatla Pyramids, led by the Goddess of the Moon, to the Land of the Dead beneath the earth. The temples atop can change, but the pyramids themselves remain forever in people’s hearts. After conquering Qinchongcan City, if you wish for a stable and lasting rule over the Lake Region, I beseech you to show mercy towards this wonder..."
"Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes... so it’s a large coronagraph and an observatory, a classical wonder indeed."
After listening to Oorta’s narrative, Xiulote pondered for a moment and nodded with a smile.
"Very well! Fear not, Crocodile, the people of Prepetcha will be my citizens, and I will respect the cultural heritage of the people of the Lake Region! ...I am certainly a fervent admirer of wonders..."
His voice trailed off into a near whisper with the last sentence. Oorta didn’t catch it clearly but didn’t dare to ask more, only resuming his thankful bow.
Xiulote looked around, beside the grand "House of Wind," was the splendid and magnificent royal "Palace of Wind." The height of the "Palace of Wind" paralleled that of the central pyramid, surrounded by a circle of sturdy stone buildings, with the palace above featuring a mix of stone and wooden structures, and balconies with fluttering drapes. On the highest tower, an old man clad in gold and silver finery was looking out from half a city away, gazing towards the legions outside the city.
Xiulote watched for a moment; the old man was nothing more than a tiny speck, indistinguishable. He withdrew his gaze, continuing to survey the city’s defenses, and it was only after a while that he spoke with a smile,